A Temporary Protective Roof System

The present disclosure relates to temporary protective roof system, in particular a keder roof system, as well as a method for assembling such a roof system. The temporary protective rood system is for example suitable for temporary installations, but may alternatively be used for buildings that are more permanent. The temporary protective roof system is for example suitable as weather protection.

Moreover, even if the temporary protective roof system according to the disclosure will be described primarily in relation to a roof, the temporary protective roof system is not restricted to this use, but may equally be used for other purposes, such as side wall, privacy protection, or the like.

Temporary protective roof systems, such as keder roof systems, are known in the prior art. These known keder roof systems typically has specially designed roof support beams with integrated keder groove for enabling installation of a tarpaulin stretching between two neighbouring support beams.

A keder roof system comprises a sheet fabric or tarpaulin having a keder chord attached thereto a side edge of a fabric, and a keder groove may be provided in a support beam. Upon inserting the keder chord into the keder groove, a continuous sealed connection between fabric and support beam is accomplished. Keder is used in a variety of applications including both permanent & semi-permanent tents & structures.

It is known from for example patent publication US2005139423 to incorporate the keder grooves in a dedicated rail structure that is attached to a scaffold using a rail holder with clamping member.

This prior art keder roof design generally works well, but there is nevertheless a continuous demand for further improved performance, in particular in terms of cost-efficiency and simplified handling.

It is highly desirable to reduced time for assembly and disassembly of a temporary protective roof systems, as well as improving user-friendliness for the roof builders.

Furthermore, one particular problem with the prior art temporary protective roof systems is the difficulty to accomplish a proper angular positioning of the rail holder and clamp when mounting on a cylindrical support structure. If the rail holder is not correctly mounted, the entire rail structure carrying the tarpaulin will be slightly offset and/or inclined relative to the scaffold, thereby causing potential problems with subsequent mounting of a tarpaulin in an associated keder groove. The problem with an offset and/or inclined keder rail is that the lateral distance between neighbouring keder grooves may be too large or too small. A too large distance between neighbouring keder grooves renders mounting of the tarpaulin problematic or even impossible, and too small distance between neighbouring keder grooves results in undesirable pockets in the tarpaulin. Pockets are generally undesirable due to problems with water/ice/snow may be collected and suddenly released, or noise due to flapping tarpaulin. This problem is increased further when the keder rail is mounted offset from the underlying support structure, because then even a small angle error results in large lateral offset of the keder rail.

This problem is further enhanced due to unwanted movement of the clamp caused by the roof builder when applying torque to a clamping device, such as a threaded member.

In other words, incorrect angular assembly position of the rail holder occurs easily and results generally in less smooth installation of the tarpaulin, and correction of angular assembly position of the rail holder after final installation of the scaffold or roof beam requires time-consuming a potentially dangerous climbing of the roof builders.

There is thus a demand for a temporary protective roof system having further improved performance, in particular in terms of cost-efficient mounting and dismounting and simplified handling. An object of the present disclosure is to provide a temporary protective roof system where the previously mentioned problems are avoided. This object is at least partly achieved by the features of the independent claims. The dependent claims contain further developments of the temporary protective roof system.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a temporary protective roof system comprising: a first roof support beam configured for providing main support and strength to a roof; a first tarpaulin; a first elongated rail structure having a tarpaulin attachment interface for attachment of the first tarpaulin to the first elongated rail structure and a rail holder for detachably fastening the first elongated rail structure to the first roof support beam; wherein the rail holder of the first elongated rail structure comprises at least two moveable locking pins for disconnectable engagement with the first roof support beam.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for assembling a temporary protective roof system comprising: providing a first roof support beam; providing a first elongated rail structure having a tarpaulin attachment interface and a rail holder; detachably fastening the first elongated rail structure to the first roof support beam by engagement of at least two moveable locking pins of the rail holder with the first roof support beam; and assembling a first tarpaulin on the first elongated rail structure by attaching the tarpaulin to the tarpaulin attachment interface of the first elongated rail structure.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for assembling a temporary protective roof system comprising: providing first and second roof support beams; providing first and second elongated rail structures, each having a tarpaulin attachment interface and a rail holder; detachably fastening the first elongated rail structure to the first roof support beam by engagement of at least two moveable locking pins of the rail holder with the first roof support beam, and detachably fastening the second elongated rail structure to the second roof support beam by engagement of at least two moveable locking pins of the rail holder with the second roof support beam; arranging the first and second roof support beams spaced apart side by side and interconnecting the first and second roof support beams and/or first and second elongated rail structures using brazing elements and/or ledgers for defining a rigid roof bay; and assembling a first tarpaulin on the first and second elongated rail structures by attaching the first tarpaulin to the tarpaulin attachment interface of the first elongated rail structure, and attaching the first tarpaulin to the tarpaulin attachment interface of the second elongated rail structure.

In this way, due to the presence of the at least two moveable locking pins in the rail holder that are configured for engaging with the first roof support beam, the correct angular position of the rail holder is easily, quickly and reliably obtained. Furthermore, the positive locking caused by the locking pin and corresponding locking structure in the roof support beam also ensures that the rail holder does not move or becomes inclined over time, for example due to large loads, thereby ensuring a reliable assembly position over time.

In addition, the moveable locking pin design also enables a simplified mounting of the rail holder on the roof support beam because operation of the locking pins may be performed manually, thereby rendering use of tools, such as a wrench or the like for a tensioning a prior art threaded clamp, obsolete. Tool-free assembly of the elongated rail is highly advantageous because it results in quicker and more convenient mounting and dismounting, as well as eliminates the risk that a roof builder drops of the tool at a potentially problematic position.

Further advantages are achieved by implementing one or several of the features of the dependent claims. For example, in some example embodiments, the tarpaulin attachment interface of the first elongated rail structure comprises a first keder groove, and the first tarpaulin has a rectangular form with first and second opposite side edges, the first tarpaulin has a first keder chord located along the first side edge and a second keder chord located along the second side edge, and the first keder chord is configured for being inserted into, and slidingly moveable within, the first keder groove of the first elongated rail structure. The keder design is attractive because it enables quick and flexible installation and removal of the tarpaulin from the roof support beam, and the tarpaulin may be reused may times before being discarded.

However, in some example embodiments, the tarpaulin attachment interface of the first elongated rail structure comprises an elongated nailing strip that is fastened on top side of the first elongated rail structure, wherein the first tarpaulin has a rectangular form with first and second opposite side edges, and wherein the first tarpaulin is configured for being nailed to the nailing strip. This type of tarpaulin attachment can be used with nearly all types of tarpaulins, thereby rendering the design flexible, but the tarpaulins are penetrated by nails or staples during assembly, thereby reducing the life-time of the tarpaulins. On the other hand, tarpaulins with less density and lower material thickness may be used.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, the at least two moveable locking pins of the rail holder are arranged for disconnectable engagement with corresponding holes or recess in the first roof support beam. Holes, and sometimes also recesses, generally provides support to the locking pin in more directions, thereby providing a more well-defined and reliable locking position.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, the at least two moveable locking pins are moveable between an engaged position, in which the locking pins are engaged with the first roof support beam for securing the rail holder to the first roof support beam, and a disengaged position, in which the locking pins are not engaged with the first roof support beam and the rail holder is removable from the first roof support beam.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, the at least two moveable locking pins are spring-loaded towards the engaged position. This simplifies mounting of the rail holder on the roof support beam.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, the at least two moveable locking pins are configured for engaging opposite sides of the first roof support beam. This provides a strong and reliable connection with the roof support beam.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, the rail holder has a foot that is configured for being in contact with the first roof support beam, and wherein the at least two moveable locking pins are located in said foot. The foot enables increased stability of the connection between the rail holder and roof support beam.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, at least one moveable locking pin, specifically each of at least two moveable locking pins, is coupled to a common or separate control arm for enabling motion control of the moveable locking pin between the engaged position and disengaged position by manually operating said control arm. A control arm enables for example manual operation of the locking pins, thereby providing simplified and more user-friendly handling during mounting and disassembly.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, at least one moveable locking pin, specifically each of at least two moveable locking pins, can be selectively set and/or locked in the engaged position and disengaged position, by manually turning the control arm.

Turning of a control arm is generally associated with user-friendly and safe handling of the locking pins.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, the rail holder and the first roof support beam are configured for providing automatic attachment of the rail holder to the first roof support beam when the foot of the rail holder is pushed towards the first roof support beam.

This provides further improved user-friendliness for mounting of the temporary protective roof.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, at least a front region of said at least two locking pins has a conical or tapered shape over a portion of a total length of the locking pin, such that a conical or tapered front region of the locking pins is configured to interact with the first roof support beam in the engaged position of the moveable locking pins. A conical locking pin enables elimination of play, thereby further improving the connection between rail holder and roof support beam.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, at least a portion of the at least two locking pins has a cylindrical shape with a diameter in the range of 4-25 mm. Too small locking pins does not provide sufficient safety and too large locking pins results in increased cost and reduced load capacity of roof support beam due to large locking holes.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, a contact surface of the first roof support beam configured to receive the foot of the rail holder is rounded or inclined, such that the locking pins are configured to be automatically pushed back against the force of a spring device when the foot is pushed towards the first roof support beam and the locking pins start engaging an exterior surface of the first roof support beam, and such that the locking pins are configured to automatically move forwards towards the first roof support beam when the foot with the locking pins reaches the final position. This provides further improved user-friendliness for mounting of the temporary protective roof.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, the foot has a contact surface configured to be in contact with the first roof support beam when the foot has reached the final position, and wherein the contact surface of the foot is located spaced apart from the keder groove with a distance of at least 10 cm, specifically at least 25 cm, and more specifically within a range of 10-150 cm. This reduces the risk of damage and wear due to contact between tarpaulin and brazing elements of the finished keder roof.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, the rail holder with the at least two spring-loaded locking pins is arranged with snap-fit functionality. This provides further improved user-friendliness for mounting of the temporary protective roof.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, the first roof support beam is a lattice girder having has a top chord, a bottom chord, and a plurality of interconnecting elements fastened to the top and bottom chords and arranged for transmitting loads between the top and bottom chords. A lattice girder is a cost-efficient and light-weight design for a roof support beam, and the top and bottom chords provide good interface for the connection with the rail holder.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, the first roof support beam is a lattice girder having has a top chord, a bottom chord, and a plurality of interconnecting elements fastened to the top and bottom chords and arranged for transmitting loads between the top and bottom chords, and wherein a central axis of each locking hole is oriented substantially perpendicular to a plane defined by the interconnecting elements. This provides a good distribution of contact points for the rail holder on the top/bottom chord.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, each of the top and bottom chords are made of hollow cylindrical tubes. A lattice girder is a cost-efficient and light-weight design for a roof support beam.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, the rail holder comprises an elongated beam having first and second ends, wherein the first end of the beam is provided with a rail attachment interface configured for enabling rigid connection with the first elongated rail structure, and wherein the second end of the beam is provided with the foot for enabling detachable connection with the first roof support beam. The elongated beam is a cost-efficient design for accomplishing a desired vertical distance between tarpaulin and brazing elements.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, the foot has a load carrying portion with a contact surface configured for abutting and transmitting a load to the upper chord of the first roof support beam when the foot is installed on the first roof support beam, and wherein the foot further has first and second rigid side portions configured for extending partly over the sides of the upper chord and for holding the locking pins. This provides a good distribution of contact points for the rail holder on the top/bottom chord.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, the load carrying portion of the foot is made of sheet metal that has been bent to have a U-shape, wherein the elongated beam of the rail holder is attached to an outer side of the bottom portion of the U-shaped sheet-metal part, and the contact surface is defined by the end edges of the lateral sides of the U-shaped sheet-metal part, and wherein said lateral sides are offset from each other with of a distance of 40-250 mm. This enables a cost-efficient, stable and rigid connection between rail holder and roof support structure.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, the first elongated rail structure is detachably fastened to the first roof support beam by means of a plurality of individual rail holders, in particular at least six individual rail holders, that are located spaced apart along the length of the first elongated rail structure.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, the foot comprises a brazing element attachment interface on each side of the foot for enabling attachment of a structural brazing element to the foot. This further improves the modularity of the temporary protective roof system, and allows the roof builder to adjust the roof strength depending on size and other circumstances.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, the brazing element attachment interface of each foot further comprises a flat support surface on each side of the foot for engagement with brazing elements, thereby providing increased stability improved steering for the brazing elements of the finished roof support structure upon assembly of the brazing elements on the foot.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, the first elongated rail structure is composed of a plurality of elongated rail sections connected end to end to jointly form the first elongated rail structure, and wherein at least one elongated rail section of the first elongated rail structure comprises a rail holder, in particular two, three or four rail holders, for detachably fastening the elongated rail section to a first roof support beam, in particular on a vertical upper or lower side of the first roof support beam. The provides a highly modular temporary protective roof system.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, the temporary protective roof system further comprises: a second roof support beam configured for providing main support and strength to a roof; a second elongated rail structure having a tarpaulin attachment interface and a rail holder for detachably fastening the second elongated rail structure to the second roof support beam; wherein the first and second roof support beams are configured for being located spaced apart side by side and interconnected by means of brazing elements and/or ledgers for defining a rigid roof bay; wherein the rail holder of the second elongated rail structure comprises at least two moveable locking pins for disconnectable engagement with the second roof support beam.

In some example embodiments, that may be combined with any one or more of the above-described embodiments, the tarpaulin attachment interface of the second elongated rail structure comprises a first keder groove, wherein the second keder chord of the first tarpaulin is configured for being inserted into, and slidingly moveable within, the first keder groove of the second elongated rail structure.

In other example embodiments, the tarpaulin attachment interface of the second elongated rail structure comprises an elongated nailing strip that is fastened on top side of the second elongated rail structure, and wherein the first tarpaulin is configured for being nailed to the nailing strip of the second elongated rail structure.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent when studying the appended claims and the following description. The skilled person in the art realizes that different features of the present disclosure may be combined to create embodiments other than those explicitly described hereinabove and below, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Various aspects of the disclosure will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings to illustrate and not to limit the disclosure, wherein like designations denote like elements, and variations of the described aspects are not restricted to the specifically shown embodiments, but are applicable on other variations of the disclosure.

schematically show a perspective overview of the temporary protective roof system according to the present disclosure in form of a keder roof system, whereinshows an assembled roof support structurebefore mounting of the a set of tarpaulins, andshows the assembled roof support structureafter mounting of the set of tarpaulins. The assembled and installed keder roof system may be deemed having an extension in a roof width direction, a roof length directionthat is perpendicular to the roof width direction, and a roof height directionthat is perpendicular to both the roof width and roof length directions,.

In the example embodiment ofand, the assembled roof support structureofcomprises four roof support beams-arranged spaced apart side by side in the roof length direction, namely a first, a second, a thirdand a fourthroof support beam, wherein neighbouring roof support beams-are mutually structurally connected via brazing elements and/or ledgersfor defining a rigid framework the forms the roof support structure.shows a closed-up view of a portion of the roof support structurein the region of the fourth roof support beam.